Hello. Kitchen, Restaurant + Bar Specialists was founded to meet the growing demand for foodservice professionals adept at generating beautiful, high efficiency designs along with thorough operations experience and food & beverage consulting.

Our Work

We specialize in the planning and design of commercial kitchens, restaurants, bars and foodservice facilities of all types. Our projects span all areas of foodservice and hospitality, from resorts, schools and hotels to restaurants, nightclubs and more.

Our Services

Kitchen, Restaurant + Bar Specialists offers comprehensive consulting from Schematic Design to 3-d models and Construction Administration. Our experience spans more than twenty years in foodservice operation, design and construction. For more information please get in touch.

About

Born and raised in suburban New Jersey, KRBS founder and principal owner Alec Bauer developed an affinity for herring at an early age. Over the years, a photographic food-memory combined with a predilection for unusual snacks translated into a passion for food, cooking and restaurants in their myriad forms.

His career began at age 14 as a busboy at a local Chinese-American restaurant, a position which comprised mixing hot mustard and setting out bowls of crisp fried won tons. A fascination with woks and BTUs was naturally instilled in the young man.

Later, engaged in undergraduate studies on Organic Agriculture and Fishery Science at Rutgers University, he began to realize that his future was indeed in food, or at least in the preparation thereof.

After cooking through college in a mostly American grills and eateries, he received formal culinary training at Vermont’s renowned New England Culinary Institute. This led to apprenticeships in New York City at The (Mercer) Kitchen for Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten and Paris at Restaurant Maison Blanche with the 3-Michelin-Star Pourcel brothers. Subsequent positions at Relaix Gourmand and DiRona properties including The Ryland Inn and Auberge du Soleil were mixed with a return to Vermont, teaching Haute Cuisine to aspiring young chefs back at The New England Culinary Institute.

Having embarked on a journey into the heart of foodservice operations more than twenty years prior, KRBS was founded in 2010 as a company uniquely positioned to see kitchen design solutions from every angle.

In 2004, a growing desire to participate in restaurants and foodservice facilities at a more holistic level led to a 5 year relationship with internationally acclaimed foodservice consultant and designer Mark Stech-Novak of Restaurant Consultation & Design in Oakland, California. Growing into the role of Project Designer, Alec was intimately involved in the design and construction of dozens of domestic and foreign restaurants with award-winning chefs of every variety. These included Jean George Vongerichten, Charlie Palmer, Todd English, Michael Mina, David Myers, and many more.

Before founding KRBS, Alec further developed his skill set with a kitchen equipment contractor where he managed the installation and construction of commercial kitchens including high-end restaurants, corporate cafeterias, schools, universities and more.

Featured Projects

A small sampling of what KRBS has to offer can be found in our Featured Projects. These are projects which have compelling narratives, stories or other captivating elements. Some are novel concepts, others are exceptional for different reasons. They are all functional, efficient, on-budget examples of high performance kitchens.

Delfina Owner Craig Stoll and Executive Chef Anthony Strong brought KRBS on-board to help develop Locanda, a Roman Osteria concept slated to be installed into a former tapas bar on Valencia Street in San Francisco. Envelope A+D and KRBS worked closely to achieve all programmatic requirements including an enlarged bar, a complete renovation of the […]

A two phase project with Michael and Lindsay Tusk, Quince’s initial design was undertaken while KRBS’s owner, Alec Bauer, was Lead Project Designer at MSN-RCD in Oakland, CA. Cotogna was subsequently completed under the KRBS name. In the interim, Alec was Project Manager during the kitchen build-out and installation working with East Bay Restaurant Supply, […]

San Francisco’s Ne Timeas Restaurant Group, owner/operator of the exceptionally popular Flour + Water, tasked KRBS with layout, design and specification for three new outlets in the Lower Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. It was a huge advantage working with someone who could look at the project from all angles and who has a deep […]

KRBS collaborated with acclaimed San Francisco chefs Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski to develop a novel, innovative concept in contemporary dining. Having just a small set menu, SBP’s core product is an ever-evolving collection of small dishes served via cart and trolley, “dim sum” style. Having just a small set menu, SBP’s core product is […]

Clients

We have been fortunate to collaborate with many Architects, Lighting Designers, Branding Consultants, Contractors and Tradespeople of all varieties. Foodservice outlets are rarely the work of one company, and the greatest projects are those born from the synergy of a team of professionals working together. Please get in touch if you would like to know more about any of our projects listed below.

Ember + Ash with Viet Pham – Salt Lake City, UT

Spring Restaurant – Los Angeles, CA

Palacio Gourmet Food Hall – Polanco, Mexico City

Moku with Peter Merman – Honolulu, HI

Guenter Seeger Restaurant – NY, NY

Del Popolo Pizza – SF, CA

Waterworks Food + Drink – Winooski, VT

Cafe du Nord Complex with Ne Timeas Restaurant Group – SF, CA

COMAL Restaurant – Berkeley, CA

The Advocate – Berkeley, CA

Guild and Company Steakhouse – So.Burlington, VT

Hotel Vermont – Burlington, VT

White Bread BarBQ – SF, CA

Local Mission Market – SF, CA

Canouan Island Resort + Hotel – Canouan, St.Vincent

Belcampo Meat Company, Commissary Kitchen – Gazelle, CA

Belcampo Meat Company Cafe – Various locations

El Huarache Loco – Marin Country Mart, Larkspur, CA

State Bird Provisions – SF, CA

Prather Ranch Meat Co., American Eatery – Ferry Plaza, SF, CA

Flour + Water – SF, CA

Central Kitchen – SF, CA

Trick Dog – SF, CA

Locanda – SF, CA

Cotogna – SF, CA

Hog + Rocks Restaurant – SF, CA

Bar Agricole – SF, CA

Prospect Restaurant – SF, CA

Quince Restaurant – SF, CA

The State Theatre – Portland, ME

Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Multiple Projects – SF, CA

Midi Restaurant – SF, CA

Shorebreak Hotel – Huntington Beach, CA

888 Brannan with Absinthe Restaurant Group – SF, CA

801 Brannan with La Cocina – SF, CA

Ginto Izakaya Japonaise – SF, CA

Symantec – Mountain View, CA

Grand Wailea Resort – Wailea, HI

Joseph Phelps Vineyard Tasting Room Kitchen – St.Helena, CA

Silver Oak Wines – Sonoma, CA

Ridge Winery Montebello – Cupertino, CA

Westwood Family Cellars – Folsom, CA

Maple Block Meat Co. – Culver City, CA

Butch & Babe’s, Burlington, VT

Kachina Restaurant and Z-Block Hotel – Denver, CO

Marion P. Thomas Charter High Culinary School – Newark, NJ

Galleria Park Hotel – SF, CA

Bocanova Restaurant – Oakland, CA

O Izakaya, Miyako Hotel – SF, CA

Americano Restaurant, Hotel Vitale – SF, CA

Summer Kitchen Bakeshop – Berkeley, CA

Gather Restaurant – Berkeley, CA

Todd English’s Olives – Biloxi, MS

Gary Danko – SF, CA

Aureole – NY, NY

Charlie Palmer at South Coast Plaza – Costa Mesa, CA

Comme Ca – Los Angeles, CA

Boule Bakery + Patisserie – Los Angeles, CA

Central Coast Restaurant and Club – Fort Atkins, WI

Soho House – Miami, FL

Four Seasons – Westlake, CA

Staglin Family Winery – Rutherford, CA

Ubuntu Restaurant – Napa, CA

COI Restaurant – SF, CA

Contigo Restaurant – SF, CA

Sacramento Unified School District – Sacramento, CA

San Mateo Unified High School District – San Mateo, CA

Apple Computers – Cupertino, CA

Ericsson – San Jose, CA

Private Residences – VT, CA, WA, NY, NJ

Contact

KRBS can complete projects all over the world. Want to get in touch? Please fill out the form below or send us an email at: info (at) krbspecialists.com